Bottle carrier



June 18, 1946. SSELMAN 2,402,218

BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Nov. 3, 1944 I 2 SheetsS heet 1 l/barf Msse/mab IN VEN TOR, 48 :49

June 18, 1946. A. WESSELMAN BOTTLE CARRIER Filed Nov. 3, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fl/ber/ Maw/man IN VEN TOR,

mounting the handle.

Patented June 18, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,402,218 BOTTLE'CAR RIER Albert Wesselman, Cincinnati, Ohio Application November 3, 1944, Serial No. 561,711

Claims. I

This invention relates to improvementsin a bottle carrier, and is concerned particularly with a carrier constructed of paper board or like material from which the essential elements of the carrier may be formed by merely cutting, scoring, and bending the material of the carrier.

One object of the present invention is to provide a carrier of the kind referred to, with separators for all the bottles accommodated thereby. said separators being formed wholly and entirely from the carrier body'or blank from which the carrier is set up, and arranged to snugly support a plurality of bottles against rattle, injury,.and defacement in transit.

Another object of the invention is to provide partition walls and partition wings in a bottle carrier, so related to one another as toautomatically lock the wings transversely to the partition walls, as the carrier is set up for use.

Another object is to gain the stated advantages and objectives without increasing the production cost and the weight oimaterial used in the manufacture of the carriers. 7

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. l is an end elevational view of the improved bottle carrier.

Fig. 2 is a view, similar to Fig. 1 but partly broken away, showing the carrier as seen from the opposite end.

Fig. 3 is a plan view showing one side of a flattened blank from which the carrier is formed.

Fig. dis a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the opposite side of the blank, it being understood that two thicknesses of material are shown in each view.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a partition wing.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the carrier in the extended or operative condition for carrying ttles, part being broken away to clarify the illustration.

Fig. l is an end view of a modified form of the carrier, the partition wings being unextended, or in other words, disposed in the planes of the central partition walls which depend from the carrier apex. r

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 7 showing a second modification incorporating a wire handle.

Fig. 91s a view similar to Fig. 7 showing a third modification, with a different form of apex In the production of inexpensive but efilcicnt paper board bottle carriers, the aim of the manulecturer is to reduce labor, time, and material factors to a minimum, while at the same time incorporating as many desirable features or accessories as is possible, into the structure of the carrier. Thus, the carrier herein illustrated is made collapsible. and may be of one-piece construction; and within the limits of the piece may be furnished with a handle, end straps, partition walls extending lengthwise, and partition wings extending crosswise, for supporting a plurality of bottles and embracing them snugly to prevent rattle, injury, and defacement while being carried. All of these features are incorporated with in the limits of a substantially rectangular blank,

without appreciable waste, and by means of mere cuts, scores, and bends in the material. Where the parts require attachment or connection, simple and inexpensive staples or other fastening means may be employed, and these may be applied automatically and in regular sequence as the carrier undergoes completion by automatic machinery. The manufacturing procedure in this instance is particularly free of handling and Darts-assembling operations, due to the manner in which the blank is cut and scored to provide the various functional elements of the completed carrier.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will be noted that the carrier comprises a bottom it, and opposite side walls it and id disposed in substantial parallelism throughout a, portion of their height, said walls being turned inwardly at an angle near their upper portions to present sloping portions to and it meeting at an apex ll. At the apex it the sidewalls may be developed in any one of several ways to be later explained-for providing a means of lifting and carrying the device. By preference, though not of necessity, the inclined or sloping portions of the side walls may be defined by score iines as indicated at id- -lil and Na -it. Along the score lines l9--l9, the statue-- ture may he provided with staples, stitches or other fastening means indicated at 20, to maintain the continuity of the resultant gable or apex of the carrier.

Each side wall of the carrier is punched or out to provide a bottle receiving opening 2! which extends lengthwise of the wall and is bounded at its ends by suspension straps 22 which are integral with the carrier body. The width of the bottle receiving opening may be established between the score lines l8 and P9 of the carrier sides. It is contemplated bottles will be insertable and removable through the openings 2! at opposite sides of the apex, in substantially the manner illustrated by Wesselman Patent- 'No.

(if the bottles.

- aeoaars 3 2,263Al1 dated November 18, 1941, and described therein. The length or the bottle receiving opening at each side ofthe carrier, is 503138" what less than the combined diameters of the three bottles to be received therein, in order that the-upper shoulder portions of the bottles may impinge against the inner edges of straps 22, there by crowding the bottles firmly toward one another lengthwise oi the carrier in order to preclude rattle and displacement. In order to complete thesnug reception of the bottles within the carrier, the width of the bottom i2 will preferably be no greater than, and possibly slightly less than, the combined diameters of two bottles disposed at opposite sides of the carrier with their diameters extending at right angles to the side walls, along a common line.

With the bottles thusly crowded into the carrier, it is desirable that separators be provided v between all adjacent bottles in order to preclude contact and abrasion of one bottle upon another. In the Fig. 6 carrier herein illustrated, seven separators are needed for preventing bottle contact at approximately the locations of the shoulders It is understood that the separstore will function with bottles of the straightsided variety, as well as with those of the peculiar design illustrated in the aforesaid Wesselman Patent No. 2,263,411. In its most desirable form, the carrier will include also an arrangement of end straps 232ll struck from the sides of'the carrier, and fastened together as at 25 for the purpose of precluding displacement of bottles from the otherwise open ends of the carrier. It may be noted that the end straps hinge at the locations 25, and are formed from the material of the side walls without waste or scrap. Other forms of end straps might be provided, if desired, in place of the type illustrated, or in some constructions the end straps may be considered unnecessary, as for example in the Wesselman Patent No. 2,171,615, dated September 5,

iii

In order to effectively separate the three bottles of a row, it is necessary that the wing of each pair 3it2 extend from the main partition a distance greater than half the width of the carrier. That the wings 8i and 32 cooperate for so separating the bottles, is clearly indicated upon Fig. l. The total reach of the wing spread ill-i2 exceeds halt the width of the carrier.

In accordance with the present, invention, selfl'cclring means associated with the wings and the main partition members serve to hold the wings in the transverse extended position illustrated by Figs. 1 and 6. It is highly desirable that the self-locking means be constituted solely of the material or" the wings and the main partition members fill-Qt, and that the wings themselves be formed wholly from the partition material.

Thus, as illustrated by Fig. wings 32 are formed side of a hinge line 33 opposite the body of the wing. By means of this construction, head 3? is formed on wing 32, and in the plane thereof so that when the wing is swung about a hinge line 33 in one direction, the integral head 31 will swing in the opposite direction and to the opposite side of the fiap. The stated relationship is clearly illustrated at 32 and ill of Fig. 1.

Referring now to Fig. 3, it will be appreciated that each wing 3! is formed by means of through cuts 38, as and it, the cut 38 terminating in the outer side edge, and the cut 3% terminating in the lower edge of flap 21. The out 3E! is such as to form a head ill on the wing, and a constricted neck portion (i2 between the head and the body of the wing. The neck portion is bounded by resilient tongues tl3d3 opposing one another,

1939, wherein the individual bottles are gripped at their bases to preclude shifting.

The main partition which depends from the apex of the carrier and extends lengthwise thereof to substantially bisect the carrier, is constituted of the flaps 27 and 28 which had been punched from the side walls to produce the bottle re-- calving apertures 2i. These'partition elements depend from intermediate sections of the scores. 19, between the points '29 and 30, thereby providing a. substantial mounting for the partition members at the carrier apex. From material at the opposite ends of flap 27 are formed the win members 3|-3l, whereas from the other flap 28 the cooperative wing element 32-32 are developed. It may be noted that the wing elements 32-32 are integral with the flap 28, and are hinged along score lines 33 for displacement from the central area. of flap 28 to positions at which the wings 32 extend transversely at substantial right angles.

By referring to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be appreciated that the greatest possible lateral extension of the wings has been obtained from the material of the flaps 2'5 and 28, by cutting the wings 3i from the end portions of flap 27, whereas the wings 32 are formed from the materlal at the middle area of flap 28. It is by this mode of wing formation, that wings of sufficient lateral extent may be produced, to reach far enough toward the carrier sides, for separating the bottles at their points of contact while embraced within a bottle receiving opening 26.

and spaced apart a distance less than the vertical dimension or width of head 37 formed on each wing 32. The heads of the wings formed from flaps 2i and 23 are joined together by means of staples or other fasteners 44 and lid, so that the.

wings thereby joined together may be swung unitarily or as a single transverse partition, to the extended position illustrated by Figs. 1 and 6.

That is to say, if the wing 32 of Fig. 6 be grasped and moved about its hing 33, the wing 8i fastened thereto as at 45 will move in correspondency therewith.

The self-locking means previously mentioned herein, is constituted of the resilient opposed tongues 4343 of flap 21, and the head 3'! of wing 32 (Fig. 6). Since the space between tongues 4343 is somewhat less than the vertical dimension of head 31, the act of rotating wing'assembly 3l32 from the flat position to'thc transverse extended position, will be opposed by head 31 tending to laterally displace the tongues 43-43. The tongues will readily displace laterally when the wing assembly is so swung to extended position, but as the wing assembly reaches the full extended position, head 31 will leave the tongues 43 and fall behind them to the condition illustrated by Fig. 6, thereby to efiect a lock preventing return of the wingassembly to the fiattened condition coplanar with the main partition means. Should it be necessary to disengage the locking means for any reason, that may be accomplished by manually displacing the tongues 43 63 laterally away from head 3?, so as to permit the head to pass the locking edges of the tongues indicated at dd. When the wing assemblies are extended as in Fig. 6, the distance between them approximates the diameter of a acoaaia bottle located substantially centrally of the receiving opening 2| while resting upon the bottom l2. As will be understood, wing 3| embracea bottle at one side of the carrier, whereas wings I2 embrace a bottle at the opposite side of the carrier. If three bottles are inserted in the opening 2| at opposite-sides of the carrier, all of the bottles will be prevented from contacting one another, either b means of the wings, or the flaps 21 and 28 which constitute the main or central partition.

In order to preclude separation of the flap 21 and 28 as the wing assemblies are disposed toward the transverse position, one or more fasteners or securing means 41 may be driven through said flaps. and 28 be held together in fiatwise relationship. in order to render effective the resiliency of tongues 43 for locking the wing assemblies in the extended or transverse position. If necessary. due to the nature of the material constitutin e flap several fasteners or adhesive means could be employed around and about the locality of tongues 43, to ensure against separation of the flaps at those locations. In some instances, it maysuflice to simpl fasten together the lower It is important that flaps 21 6 tion Serial No. 519,163 filed January 21, 1944. In constructions such as Fig-7 illustrates, the handle portions may be bent outwardly as indicated by the broken lines, to overlie the caps of bottles contained therein, to facilitate stacking and transporting of the carrier units.

One of the primary advantages of the present carrier is that the blank from which it is formed can be cut and scored in the flat, that is, before folding to double thickness condition at which the carrier may be said to be collapsed. The cutting and scoring operations may be performed expeditiously by means of a rotary machine employing knives and perforators continuously operating upon wide sheets, from which the blanks are out. In cutting the wings ll from the flaps 21, complete severance is to be avoided so that the wing will not inadvertently become detached from the flap 21. It is proposed that weak webs or connections be permitted to occur in portions of the cut 40, or at other locations, to hold the wing in place until such time as the blank reaches the edges of the flaps constituting the main partition.

Referring to Fig. 1 it may be noted that the bottom of the carrier is constituted of two 0D- posed flaps 0r sheets 50-50 overlapped as at 48 and joined together by means of a suitable fastener such as a staple or other means 49. These bottom members will preferably be continuous with the sides of the carrier and with the handle portions indicated at ii. If the carrier be of onepiece construction, the handle portions 5| may be joined as indicated at 52 of Fig. 1, however, the

connection at 52 is not absolutely necessary in view of the connections at 20. The opposite panels at the handle portions may be apertured at 53 to provide hand holds, as indicated, or in an alternative construction the handle portions may be dispensed with or modified in accordance with Figs. 8 and 9, when it is desired to furnish the carrier with handles of wire or similar material. It will be appreciated, of course, that the carrier f Fi s. 1-6 may be constructed of a single blank folded along its medial line, or along a line corresponding to the score line indicated at 54 of Fig. 7, so that the bottom of the carrier will in-. clude no joint whatever. In such case, the opposite ends of the blank constituting the carrier will coincide at the top of the handle portion 5|.

Such a construction is illustrated by Fig. 7, wherein W indicates the medial score line of the carrier blanlt, and 55 indicates the free upper or terminal ends of the blank. Fig. 7 is otherwise identical to Fig. 1, even though the separator wings are not shown in their extended or transverse position.

In accordance with Fig. 8, the main partition members are indicated by the characters I 21 and H8, which are identical to the members 27 and 28 of Fig. 6 in all respects. The apex portion of the Fig. 8 carrier, however, is modified and provided with perforations to receive a wire handle be.

In the Fig. 9 modification, all of the features of Fig, 6 are included except the integral handle portion, this being in Fig. 9 replaced by extensions 5'! of limited height, perforated at 58 to The apex portion of stapler which applies the fasteners 44 and 45 to join wings 3| to the wings 32, which latter are definitely hinged at 33 on flap 28. Once the flaps 3| and 32 are joined together, the first movement of the wings toward the transverse position will sever any 'weak connections between the wings 3| and the flap 21 from which they are struck.

What is claimed is:

1. A bottle carrier comprising in combination, a bottom, and inclined sides having bottle receiving apertures therein, the sides converging above the bottom to provide an apex extending lengthwise of the carrier, 9. pair'of flaps in flatwise contact depending downwardly into the carrier from the apex, to provide -a partition for separating the bottles atone side of the carrier from those at the opposite side of the carrier, each of said flaps having opposite end portions and an intermediate middle area, a pair of extendible wings formed from the material at the opposite end portions of one of the flaps, and a second pair of extendible wings formed from the material at the middle area of the other flap, means connecting one wing of one flap to the corresponding wing of the other flap, for unifying movement of wings at opposite sides of the partition, and means on one flap-cooperating with a wing of the other flap, for locking the connected wings in a position of extension transversely oi the par- 1 a bottom, and inclined sides having bottle receivsis ing apertures therein, the sides converging above the bottom to provide an apex extending lengthwise of the carrier, 8. pair of flaps in flatwise contact depending downwardly into the carrier from the apex, to provide a partition for separating the bottles at one side of the carrier from those at the opposite side of the carrier, each of said flaps having opposite end portions and an intermediate middle area, a pair of extendible wings formed from the material at the opposite end portions of one of the flaps, and a second pair of extendible wings formed from the material at the middle area of the other flap, means connecting one wing of one flap to the corresponding wing of the other flap, ior unifying movement of wings at opposite sides of the partition, and self-locking means associated with the flaps and wings, to maintain an extended condition of the wings transversely of the partition.

3. A bottle carrier comprising in combination, a bottom, and inclined sides having bottle receivseeders ing apertures therein, the sides converginsehoye the bottom to provide on open extending lenet wise of the carrier, s. pair of flops in fietwlso contact depending downwardly into the carrier from the apex, to provide-o partition for separating the bottles at one side of the carrier from these at the opposite side of the carrier, eech oi seid flaps having opposite end pofiions end an inter-- mediate middle area, a pair of eroendihle wings formed from the material at the opposite end portions of one or the flops, and a second psir or extendihle wings formed from the material at the middle area of the other flop, moons connecting one wing of one fie-p to the corresponding wing of the other flop, for unifying movement oi wings at opposite sides oi the pertition, e. flex ihle tongue on one of the flops, end heed on the wing of the other iiep, ssid tonwe Boeing norreally in obstructive relationship with the head but adopted to he flexed hy the head es the Wings are extended, and ohutments on the tongue end the head inter-lockable upon movement oi the wings to extended condition transversely of the flaps.

d. An article separator comprising in combine.- tion, a pair of separator wells in fiatwise contact, each of said walls having opposite end portions and an intermediate middle area, a pair of extendible wings formed from the material at the opposite end portions of one of the walls, and a second pair of extendible wings formed from the material at the middle area of the other well. means connecting one wing of one well to the corresponding wing of the other well, for unifymg movement oi wings at opposite sides oi the seperetor, a flexible tongue on one of the wells, and e, head on the wing of the other well, i tongue being normally in obstructive relations with the heed but edepmd to flexed by head as the wings are extended, and ehntrn on the tongue and the heed interlockoble movement oi the wings to extended condition transversely of the 5, An erticle separator comprising in combine-- tion, a pair oi. fiemble separator walls in fietwise contest, each of sold wells having opposite 1 portions and on interrsediote middle ores, e pa oi extendibie wings out and severed from materiel at the opposite end portions of the wells, each of said wings including o e relatively smaller heed, and o constricted joining the body and the head, a flexible t formed in the meter-lei or the by on defining the constricted neck of the wing, end pair of extendihle wings partially from the rneteriol et middle area or the wait, the Wings of sold second pair each comprisiris: e body portion hinged to its well, and e heed extending from said oody portion beyond the hinge, the head of the hinged body portion overlying the constricted neck of the severed wing first mentioned and projecting laterally beyond said neck to interlock with the tongue upon movement of the wings uniterily to extended position transversely of the separator wells, and mesns maintaining the head and neck oi the severed wing in fietwise fixed contact upon the heed and body portion of the hinged wing, to ensure unitory movement of thewings. 

